There’s no bigger ego stroke than someone falling in love with you. For that someone that you was once just a stranger, a casual acquaintance, a classmate and now you’re everything. We all have varying values on sex, some can’t sleep with someone they don’t love while others will swipe right get their itch scratched and maybe reminisce about it on a random cold evening. In either regard, having someone fall for you is the true conquest. Hell, just having someone is still viewed as the ultimate validation. While it’s more commonly used to shame women, in reality it’s moreso men who truly get their #selfofsteam and confidence from their romantic relationships. We’re the pursuers after all, a woman is as single as her options while a man is as single as his efforts. Men aren’t above getting their Chante Moore on, especially with a bad one.
What about the man without that validation? No one wants to be the old head at the club or the 40 year old bachelor on tinder who has never been in love before and now your date’s friends are wondering what’s wrong with you. (Basically, gotta have experience, but can’t have baggage. Dating is stupid.) Toxic as it may be, we still equate manhood with our appeal to women, and if you don’t have no sauce you’re lost (Gucci Mane, 2013).

So naturally, there was a time where that was where I got all my confidence from. Didn’t matter what anyone else thought of me; she thinks I’m funny, she thinks I’m fly, she loves me. Then one day, she didn’t. It left a void in my self worth. Was I not those things anymore? But reflection and growth took too long so, I just found another woman who did. I could start over, charm, court, woo…be everything she was looking for and in return I would get validation. I found someone, so clearly it’s not me it’s her. Then when that flamed out, oh look there’s another. I could keep going hunting and hunting, never really learning from my flame outs because they’ll always another woman who’s waiting for someone like me. Except, I wasn’t even someone like me anymore.

The relationships themselves were burning out quicker each time. The cure had become the disease, now I was tripping over every fall out with women, even the ones I wasn’t even sure I liked. I just liked being Prince Charming. Meanwhile, she couldn’t even tell me what my favorite color was. I couldn’t tell you what I liked most about them. My dating life had gotten aimless, I just got into relationships because that was the right thing to do and it wasn’t necessarily what I wanted. I had become lost in the sauce, just as Gucci warned.

It was a year ago today actually, I found myself listening to Views, rolling my eyes at Aubrey’s arrogrant attempts at affliction (alliteration ftw) and coming to the realization of….wait, that’s me. Was my ego out of control, or was it always just low self esteem? I went with the former, because why would I cop to low self esteem? The issue was I was just picking the wrong ones…purposely. Yeah, that was it. Now I had Tequila, someone who I knew I wanted from the moment I saw her. Failed spectacularly. She said I couldn’t love her because I didn’t love myself. I pffffffft’d. I moved on and she’s…well. (there was gonna be a parting shot here but I’ma rise above).

I’m my best me when I have someone, when I’m happy…as most men are. The love and support of a good woman is the ultimate glo up. How else are you going to learn to use real garlic instead of garlic salt, invest in quality bedoing and stop hanging up posters with scotch tape. Some are happier with a plethora of women sweating them whilst remaining single and then you know, sup Carmelo. Seldom is it just a nut, it’s affairs, situationships, strings attached maybe it’s all just a result of low self esteem and unable to be content with I got mine and I’m good. Contrary to popular belief we aren’t just dogs with no impulse control, we are self aware adults who just long to be validated. Over and over again. Or something. Shrug life.

One response to “Today’s Word is… SELFOFSTEAM”

“So naturally, there was a time where that was where I got all my confidence from. Didn’t matter what anyone else thought of me; she thinks I’m funny, she thinks I’m fly, she loves me. Then one day, she didn’t. It left a void in my self worth. Was I not those things anymore? But reflection and growth took too long so, I just found another woman who did. I could start over, charm, court, woo…be everything she was looking for and in return I would get validation. I found someone, so clearly it’s not me it’s her. Then when that flamed out, oh look there’s another. I could keep going hunting and hunting, never really learning from my flame outs because they’ll always another woman who’s waiting for someone like me. Except, I wasn’t even someone like me anymore.

The relationships themselves were burning out quicker each time. The cure had become the disease, now I was tripping over every fall out with women, even the ones I wasn’t even sure I liked. I just liked being Prince Charming. Meanwhile, she couldn’t even tell me what my favorite color was. I couldn’t tell you what I liked most about them. My dating life had gotten aimless, I just got into relationships because that was the right thing to do and it wasn’t necessarily what I wanted.”